US Army installs electronic stabilty control on MRAP vehicles

The US Army is outfitting the MaxxPro family of MRAP vehicles with electronic stability control (ESC) technology to help prevent rollovers

It's not uncommon for technology developed
for the military to eventually find its way into consumer products, but the US
Army is taking things in the other direction. In an effort to improve the
safety of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, it is fitting them
with electronic stability control (ESC) technology like that found in
commercial vehicles for years.

To protect against underbody threat posed
by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and mines, the distance from the ground
to the bottom of MRAP vehicles is maximized. However, this raises their center
of gravity and makes them more susceptible to rolling over.

The Army says while most rollovers
experienced by the MaxxPro family of MRAPs that were first introduced in 2007
were due to the roadway under the vehicles collapsing, some were
maneuver-related. It is these maneuver-related rollovers, which have resulted
in injuries and fatalities, that the fitting of ESC is intended to reduce or
eliminate altogether.

The ESC system being fitted makes use of
the vehicle's anti-lock braking system time data and the intent of the driver ascertained
through a sensor in the steering column. When it detects unsafe driving that
could potentially result in loss of vehicle control, the system intercedes to
restrict engine power and apply braking to each wheel individually to help
steer the vehicle where the driver intends to go. The system then recedes into
the background and returns full control to the driver once the
"unsafe" threshold has passed.

"It just makes sense," said Lt. Col. Elliott
Caggins, the Vehicle Systems product manager at the US Army's Program Office
(APO) for MRAP vehicles. "We have developed the most ballistically
survivable tactical vehicle platform possible. We need to make sure that it is
as safe in all aspects of operation, not just for enemy threats."

Additionally, the Army sees the introduction of
ESC as an important step towards future fully autonomous vehicles through an evolutionary
approach involving the integration of "driver assist" technologies.

The first MRAP vehicles have been fitted
with ESC, with the Army saying the entire MaxxPro family of vehicles are
scheduled to sport the computerized stability technology by the end of the 2017
fiscal year. This includes the installation of ESC on 2,633 MaxxPro Dash
vehicles in fiscal 2015-2016, 301 new MaxxPro long wheel base ambulances in
fiscal 2015. There are also plans to integrate ESC into other Army MRAPs in the
future.